Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk took another step toward making his season debut, as the injured star skated with the team in practice on Sunday for the first time this season.
Tkachuk has not played this season as he continues to recover from off-season surgery in August.
At the time of the surgery, the early expectation was that Tkachuk may be ready to return to action by Christmas. Earlier in December, Panthers general manager Bill Zito told NHL.com that they were unsure if Tkachuk would be ready for the beginning of 2026.
“The prognosis is the same that I said at the beginning of the season,” Zito said, per NHL.com. “They told me around Christmas, so I don’t know what that means. He’ll play when he’s ready.”
Tkachuk was first injured while playing for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. The 27-year-old winger revealed after the season that he suffered a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia during the tournament. He missed the final 25 games of the season after the tournament but returned for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Tkachuk scored eight goals and totalled 23 points in 23 games to help lead the Panthers to their second consecutive Stanley Cup title over the Edmonton Oilers.
Florida has spent this season playing shorthanded with captain Aleksander Barkov likely to miss the entire year with a torn ACL and Tkachuk yet to play. The Panthers have won seven of their last 10 games and are stuck in the middle of a crowded Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Florida (20-15-2) has games against the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens to finish off the 2025 side of the calendar before opening the 2026 schedule with a battle against the New York Rangers in the Winter Classic on Jan. 2.